Stephan Dahl
Communications and Culture Transformation
Cultural Diversity, Globalization and Cultural Convergence

This project, presented to European University (Barcelona), aims to provide an overview of the three main areas that the intercultural encounter and the globalization encompass. Primarily, what makes cultures different from each other. Secondly it aims to provide an overview of trends that have had a deep impact on cultures and intercultural encounters, and facilitated the globalization and emergence of a cosmopolitan culture. Thirdly it looks at the process the individual goes through in an intercultural encounter, and how it adapts to culture shifts in its environment.

Stephan Dahl is a lecturer at the University of Luton, UK.
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PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
INTRODUCTION

Chapter 1 DETERMINANTS OF CULTURE AND IDENTITY

WHAT IS CULTURE?
THE NATIONAL CHARACTER/BASIC PERSONALITY
PERCEPTION
TIME CONCEPTS
SPACE CONCEPTS

THINKING
logic and prelogic
inductive and deductive
abstract and concrete
alphabetical and analphabetical

LANGUAGE

NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION
Kinesics
Proxemics
Appearance
Posture
Oculesics
Haptics, tacesics
Paralanguage
Symbolism and Passive Non-verbal Communication

VALUES
BEHAVIOR: NORMS, RULES, MANNERS, ROLES
SOCIAL GROUPINGS AND RELATIONSHIPS
Axioms of the previous section

Chapter 2 CULTURE ACQUISITION AND MODIFICATION

Axioms of the previous section

Chapter 3 TRENDS IN CROSS-BORDER AND INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION

GLOBAL BUSINESS
Free Trade and Common Markets
Foreign Direct Investment , TNCs, Oligopolization
Capitalism and Western Culture Export

POLITICAL AND SOCIO-ECONOMICAL CHANGES
From colonial power to neoliberal Europe
European Integration
Revolt and Social Change: May 1968
Extension of power: the fall of Franco
Extending the neoliberal world view to the East
Yugoslavia
New Democrats, New Labor and Neue Mitte
Western politics and commercial influence
Conclusion

MEDIA TRENDS
Influence of the media on society
Decline of the public broadcasting in Europe
The emergence of commercial broadcasting
Commercial, global media content
Co-operation and global distribution
Diversification into multimedia services
Cinema globalization
Localization of focus
Resistance towards globalization
Global content, produced locally
Conclusion

THE INTERNET
The Emergence of the Net
Internet Users and Usage
Critical Mass Levels
The Commercialization of Cyberspace

Axioms of the previous section

Chapter 4 THE NEED FOR AN INTERACTIVE MODEL OF CULTURAL TRANSFORMATION

Chapter 5 TOWARDS EXPLAINING INTERCULTURAL TRANSFORMATION

THE CULTURE SHOCK
FROM SHOCK TO SELF-REFLECTION
SHOCK, REFLECTION, ADAPTATION
FROM THE INDIVIDUAL TO THE SOCIETY
DEFINITIONS
ASSUMPTIONS
AXIOMS

Chapter 6 CONCLUSION AND DISCUSSION